In hospitals, convalescent centres, private homes and the like, bedridden patients often require special apparatuses to adapt bed trays for convenient placement in relation to the patient to provide a surface upon which the patient may eat, read, etc.
Hospitals, the most common place for such bed trays, often use bed trays which are attached to a metal frame having wheels for locating a tray in front of a patient. A problem with such movable bed tray apparatuses is that these trays may be easily displaced or rolled from a position relative to the patient causing an inconvenience for the patient while eating and a further inconvenience to the care-giver who must relocate the tray. Further, such a bed tray assembly is expensive to fabricate and therefore presents a drain on a hospital budget and is likely too costly for use in private homes.
Other accessory tables for attachment to beds or hospital operating tables require special rails attached to an operating table to which an accessory table is secured to the operating table. There would be significant expense associated with adapting beds to include these special rails or attaching similar rails to a bed frame to adapt it for use with such accessory tables. Further, such an accessory table is not designed to facilitate the easy adjustment or removal of the table by the patient, but is rather configured to be firmly secured to an operating table frame to prevent movement of the accessory table while it is in use. Additionally, the elaborate brackets used to secure such accessory table to the operating table further increase the costs of the apparatus.
Less complicated tray attachments for patient beds have been designed for engagement with the side rails of a bed equipped with side rails. However, the manner of attachment of such trays to the side rails does not permit the simple adjustment of the bed tray by the patient and does not permit the easy removal of the tray. Further, not all beds for which a tray is required is equipped with side rails.
Others describe holders attached to bed side rails for holding telephones, patient communicators, and the like, but do not describe a bed tray assembly which may be adjusted by the patient or removed from the bed side rail. Further, such holders are not readily adapted for use with the beds which are commonly found in private homes, not equipped with side rails.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bed tray apparatus which may be easily adjusted or rotated by a bedridden patient and easily removed from a bed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bed tray apparatus which is simple and economical to produce.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bed tray apparatus which may be adapted for use with beds commonly found in private homes.